vicious

/ˈvi-shəs/

Middle English, from Anglo-French vicios, from Latin vitiosus full of faults, corrupt, from vitium vice

adjective

  1. dangerously aggressive : savage

  2. marked by violence or ferocity : fierce

  3. malicious, spiteful

a vicious dog

a vicious fight

vicious villainous iniquitous nefarious corrupt degenerate mean highly reprehensible or offensive in character, nature, or conduct. vicious may directly oppose virtuous in implying moral depravity, or may connote malignancy, cruelty, or destructive violence. villainous applies to any evil, depraved, or vile conduct or characteristic.

noun

  1. an argument or definition that begs the question

  2. a chain of events in which the response to one difficulty creates a new problem that aggravates the original difficulty —called also vicious cycle